PETALING JAYA: Lim Guan Eng must be cleared of any corruption charges before becoming the Finance Minister, said the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4). "The C4 Centre is troubled that Lim has been appointed as Finance Minister despite earlier statements by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that he can only be appointed if he has been cleared of his corruption charge," its executive director Cynthia Gabriel said in a statement on Tuesday (May 22).Lim is currently facing charges of using his position as the former Penang chief minister to obtain a plot of land and a bungalow at below market value.He was also charged with gaining gratification for himself and his wife Betty Chew Gek Cheng by approving the application for conversion of agricultural land to a public housing zone in Balik Pulau to a company.Despite his ongoing trial, Lim was sworn in as the new Finance Minister on Monday (May 21). "While there is no question about Lim Guan Eng’s suitability for the candidacy, it raises questions about how the Pakatan Harapan is pushing his appointment through," said Gabriel. "We urge greater transparency about the process between the Prime Minister and the A-G's office to instil confidence in the public sphere that no strings were pulled, demonstrating that due process was adhered to despite the urgency," she said.Gabriel acknowledged that there were no legal implications that prevented Lim from taking up the role.She, however, noted that there are good governance principles which underlay the importance of Dr Mahathir’s statement. Related stories:Guan Eng: BN govt paid RM7bil to bail 1MDB outGuan Eng shocked that Finance Ministry officials blocked from 'red files'Guan Eng confirms national debt more than RM1 trillion

Source: The Star May 22, 2018 07:41 UTC